Conservative Deputy Leader urges Tony Blair to sign the petition to pull the EuroParliament out of Strasbourg

Atkins: 1 million EU citizens must be heard. Waste of £150 million a year must end

Brussels 19th September 2006 -- Sir Robert Atkins MEP, Conservative Deputy Leader in the European Parliament, has urged Tony Blair to sign the www.oneseat.eu petition and convince fellow EU leaders at the next European Council that the Strasbourg circus is a farce that must end.

Sir Robert said:

"If Tony Blair is serious about European reform and accountability, he should sign the petition and persuade EU leaders to end the hugely expensive charade of monthly sessions in Strasbourg.

Keeping a second parliamentary seat effectively means pouring millions of pounds paid by British taxpayers down the plughole.

This nonsense destroys voters' trust in the EU.

Parliament has repeatedly stressed that it has the right to decide where it sits. There is nothing in Strasbourg that we don't already have in Brussels.

Conservative MEPs have been at the forefront of the campaign to reform the EU. British taxpayers expect reform to begin by having one seat only in Brussels. "

At Old Trafford, presenting a cheque for £100,000 to the Chairman of Lancashire C.C.C.